Pale
by Corazon Negro
Summary: Sakura had long ago set a goal to become a strong ninja, but throughout her teen years she begins to fall into a depression, trying desperately to catch up with her former team mates... Full summary inside. ItachiXSakura


**A/N** Hello! I would first like to say that this is my first **Naruto** fanfiction. I really hope that many will enjoy the idea that I have come up for this story. However, as of now it stands as a one-shot, but it will change once I 1) finish another fanfic and 2) decide how I'm going to type this story. I usually don't care much for reviews (I mean that it really doesn't matter to me if you review or not, it's really always up to you, but I do enjoy reading them), but I've decided that with this story, I will update depending on the amount of reviews I get for this prologue. If I somehow get quite a few reviews, I will try to update one chapter every so often. If it doesn't do quite well, then I will update by parts (I'm planning of splitting the story into three parts) so it will take quite a long time until I update the next chapters. Hmm, hope that makes sense. Oh, and if anyone is curious about the title, I merely got it from a song by Within Temptation, which I really recommend listening to. Once the story is complete, you may understand why I believe the song goes quite well with the story.

Anyway, I would lastly like to say that this story may be a typical and predictable one, just like any other story (not all are, there are really talented writers that know how to create suspenseful and creative stories, but since I'm not really one of those talented writers, this fic may seem tedious). Of course, I will try my best to make it interesting. Oh, and if you think that some things seem cliché, I apologize, but I believe it's getting harder to come up with original ideas. I know that stuff in this story, like how Sakura begins to feel in future chapters, will probably be something you have already read, but in my own way. Ah, anyway, I just hope it will be a good read anyway. I will also try very hard to keep the characters in character, but its really hard for me sometimes…. Well enough of my blabbering! I promise this will be the last time I write something this long.

I hope you read and enjoy!

**Rating:** K+ (for now, I will warn you when the rating rises)

**Pairing:** Itachi x Sakura (it's kind of one side)

**Full Summary: **Sakura had long ago set a goal to become a strong ninja, but throughout her teen years she begins to fall into a depression, trying desperately to catch up with her former team mates. However, she keeps falling deeper and deeper, almost to the point where she wants to give up, but the boy she had met so long ago finally reveals himself once more, to keep a promise he made. She just couldn't believe it was Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, and when she hesitantly agrees to go with him, she never thought that throughout the years she is with him, she would fall in love with him.

But what of the people she left behind in Konoha? Why is it that they refuse to let her go? Have they realized what she truly means to them all, especially Sasuke? It seems that a battle is inevitable and the consequences will be dire. At the very end, nothing will ever be the same…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the greatness which is Naruto, the honour belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Date: **Friday, December 16, 2005

**)()()- Pale -()()( **

**Chapter Summary:** Four year old Sakura has gotten herself lost in Konoha's forest and upon her quest to find her parents; she meets the nine year old Itachi. They travel together and along the way they make promises.

**Prologue**

"_Don't wander too far."_

That's what they told her. Her parents told her not to wander off too far from their resting place, yet she had not heeded their words. She had ventured into the forest, far from the protection of her parents. And now, she regretted it.

She was lost, alone, and extremely scared. The sun had long ago set, making the vast forest appear dangerous and daunting, but she walked on, hoping that she would find her parents to take her home. But time was passing and she had yet to see, or hear, any sign from them. Could it be that they had forgotten her?

"No, mamma and daddy would never forget me. Maybe . . . their lost too?" she questioned her assumption. Could they possibly have gotten lost in search for her?

The young girl of age four stopped walking and couldn't help but let tears begin to form. Would she never be found? She pondered on her thoughts, wondering how she had gotten herself into such a predicament. If only she had paid attention to where she was going! But even four year olds lose themselves in thought, especially this little girl and because of it, she was now lost in a very dark and terrifying forest.

"What should I do?" she asked to no one. She knew that if she kept walking she might end up finding them, but it was possible they wouldn't be the only ones she might encounter. Who knew _what_ lurked in the forest at night. 'And if I stay put . . .' her thought lingered. If she stayed where she was, her parents might find her, but she would be an easy target for anyone, that is, if they could see in the dark. 'I should find a place to hide,' her mind kept repeating that, but she didn't move. She felt too scared now, believing that making any sudden move would be dangerous. She was frozen to her spot and she began to shake.

"Move, move, move," she kept whispering to herself, "move!"

At last, listening to her instruction, she moved her shaking right foot forward but immediately stopped when she heard a snap behind her. She completely froze once more, wondering what was behind her. Of course, even if she turned around to look she wouldn't be able to see anything. Unfortunately for her, it was a new moon that very night and the stars hardly gave off any light, so really the world around her was almost pitch black. 'What should I do?' she questioned in her mind. If she moved, would whatever was behind her, see her? 'Maybe it was an animal,' she thought, trying to hear anything else. Why wasn't anything happening? Had the creature gone already?

The child stayed still a few minutes more, wondering if it was safe to move. She believed it was and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She turned around slowly and still could not hear anything. 'I guess it really is gone,' she happily thought, smiling at that fact, but soon it faded away and she fell to her knees, beginning to cry once more. She was terrified even more now! What if the creature came back? There was no way she could defend herself! 'What should I do?' that question once more ran through her mind and kept repeating. But she was interrupted from her thoughts as she heard another snap and quickly raised her head to see . . . nothing, obviously.

'Run. Run. Run. Run!' an inner voice told her. She wanted to, but she was once again frozen on the spot. However, this time she foolishly called out, "Mom . . . ma?"

She waited for any response, but to her dismay, none came. No. No one spoke, no one responded to her call. Instead, someone had placed a hand on top of her head. Naturally, anyone would have been scared out of their wits with this sudden action in the dark, so it should have been no surprise that the girl jumped and wanted, very badly, to scream. But her scream was caught in her throat and as an alternative she quickly closed her eyes shut and waited for whatever this person was going to do to her. She waited for what seemed hours, but nothing came. She opened her eyes, even though it really made no difference, and could clearly hear the person shuffling through their pockets, searching for something.

It was surprising when she saw light illuminating her face, and it took a while until her eyes adjusted to it, finally realizing that the person had searched for their flashlight. The individual removed the light from her face and, she believed, he tried to keep as much light away from his own, as if not wanting to be seen at all.

"Are you lost?" the person asked. She was a bit shocked to realize that this person was actually a very young boy. Could it be that he was lost too?

"Uh-huh," the child responded after a long pause. She wondered if he would be so kind as to help her find her parents, it wouldn't be a problem if he did, right? After all, he might be lost as well, so they should stick together until they found their parents, right? That's what she hoped for, she couldn't bare to be all alone once more in the ghastly forest, but as soon as hope washed over her, it faded when she saw something dimly glistening on the boy's forehead. 'A forehead protector . . . ?' she thought as she spoke out her next thought, "You're a . . . ninja?"

"Yes, I am," he answered, and sensing a bit of fear from her he continued, "from Konoha, which I assume you are from as well?" He pointed the flashlight toward his headband to prove he was telling the truth. He felt her relax once she saw the symbol on the forehead protector and removed the light from his face.

"I am," she told him, as she let out a relieved sigh. She had feared that he was one of those, 'what did they call them? Mis . . . missing… missing-nin!' she remembered. Someone had once told her stories of missing-nin, how they turned into S-class criminals and they wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone, not even children. She was told that they could be any age, so she had feared that maybe the boy was a missing-nin, but she was glad he wasn't. 'But why is he out here?' she wondered, as she looked at him, trying hard to see his face. There wasn't enough light pointed at him for her to see any details, just the outline. 'Ninja don't get lost, right? Then why would he be out here?' she kept thinking on that and her face lit up with a hopeful answer, 'Maybe momma and daddy sent a ninja to find me!'

"Did my parents ask you to find me?" she asked, her eyes filled with hope. The boy stared at her for a moment, pondering how he should answer her.

In truth he had not been sent by her parents. He was actually there to find a few rogues that were attacking some of the farmers of Konoha and their crops. Some people have said that they camped out in the forest, so that's why he was there, to find and capture those scoundrels. He just never thought he would find a girl, probably no older than his own brother, out here as well. It was really a good thing that he had found her first, but what now? Should he leave her and continue on with this important mission? As he looked at her hopeful eyes, he knew he couldn't.

"No," was his simple reply to her question, he had no reason to lie to her, but he wasn't going to leave her. He saw her eyes dull and her expression change into one of hopelessness, a certain pang shot at his heart, he didn't understand why. It wasn't as if he had never seen someone look pathetic . . . his brother came to mind. So why feel guilty that he had saddened her? Why? He sighed; he wasn't going to worry about it. "But," he continued, hoping that she would change her expression back to one of hope, "I'll help you find your parents."

Her face lit up with cheeriness as she said, "Really?"

"Really," he softly said as he reached out his hand, "Now take my hand and we'll look for them together."

She looked at his awaiting hand for a moment, and slowly she put her small hand into his. He lifted her to her feet with ease, and, never letting go of her hand, they soon began to walk He had shut off his flashlight, wanting to make sure they did not become easy targets. He was glad for the moonless night; the darkness would conceal them well. He just hoped that they would not be found by his prey.

The girl wondered why he had shut the flashlight off, but soon remembered he was a ninja, and ninja had techniques. Maybe he was capable of seeing in the dark? She wanted to believe that, thinking it was quite an amazing thing if he could. 'Ninja are really cool,' her inner voice squealed. She couldn't help but agree with it. 'Being a ninja must be exciting!' she thought and soon was lost in thought as she pondered on what it would be like to be a shinobi. She was so lost in thought she didn't even hear the young boy asking her a question. She only took notice when they stopped moving.

"Hmm?" she hummed as she looked up at him with confusion. The boy slightly raised one brow, wondering if it was normal for such a young child to be lost deeply in thought. She was quite an odd one.

"I had asked for your name," he told her.

"Oh, sorry," she innocently apologized, "I am Haruno, Sakura."

"Sakura . . ." he tried out the name. He couldn't help but smile just a tad bit, that name really suited her, mostly since she had pink hair. "Well then, Sakura-chan, how exactly did you end up alone in the forest?" he asked as he began to walk once again, hand-in-hand, with the girl.

Sakura contemplated on why he didn't say his name and simply went on asking her a question. 'Must be a ninja thing, very secretive stuff!' the inner voice spoke once more, and Sakura felt it probably was true, so she wasn't going to bother asking him. So she answered his question instead, "Me and my family go hiking once a week in this forest, always following the path, and we always take breaks once in a while. So when we took one of our breaks, I went exploring into the forest and I got . . . lost."

"Didn't your parents tell you not to wander too far?" he asked and by the expression she gave, he figured they did.

"I wasn't . . . really paying attention. I got a lot on my mind," she sheepishly said, looking to the ground. He couldn't help but raise his brow again.

"What could a little girl possibly be thinking, enough to get distracted?" he asked her.

"Well . . ." she would have continued had she not been shushed by his hand. For some unknown reason, they had stopped walking. "What's wrong?"

"Stay behind me, Sakura-chan," he ignored her question, but she didn't mind. She did as she was told and began to wonder what was happening, or rather, what was about to happen.

"What do we have here?" a different voice had entered their ears and now Sakura knew that they were being ambushed. She could see light being emitted from other people and it scared her to know that there was more than one person. 'What are we going to do?' Sakura wondered, as she saw two others approaching them. Would her hero be able to handle them?

"It looks like we have two small fries," another spoke, sounding quite amused. Sakura couldn't help but shake in fright.

"Aww, is the little girl scared?" the last one said. Sakura grasped the back of the boy's shirt tight, wishing that the threatening men would go away.

"Sakura-chan," the boy called out after just silently standing there. He had been examining the situation as the men spoke. Sensing no one hiding in the shadows, he knew for certain that there were only three men, and they were the rogues he had been seeking. It was safe to say that they weren't ninja, and if they were, they weren't very skilled ninja. But even if they were skilled, he knew he could handle them, after all, that was what he came to prove. This was his test and he was going to succeed, he had no doubt about that.

Never removing his gaze on the men he continued to speak, "Don't be scared. I promise I will protect you."

Sakura eyes widen a little and slowly her fear was depleting. The grasp she had on his shirt loosened until she completely let go. She moved a little away from him, knowing that he needed the room to fight. The words he had said repeated in her head, and she realized she fully trusted him. She believed he would protect her and so now she was no longer afraid.

"You really shouldn't tell the girl lies, kid. There is no way a little runt like you could beat us. It's three against one, you have no chance," the first man that appeared, smugly said.

The boy only stared impassively at them, not moving at all. He was waiting for them to make a move and it didn't take long until one finally did. The man raised his face, wanting to deliver a blow to the stoic boy's face, but he didn't have a chance. The child had kicked him in the gut before the older person could, and that kick sent the man flying to a tree. The boy went back to his previous position, just stoically standing there.

"Sakura-chan," he once again called out to her, "stay there no matter. Do not move from that spot." He handed her his flashlight and she nodded in agreement to what he said. Swiftly, the boy took out three kunai and threw them at the men. He succeeded in hitting his targets, their flashlights. Now engulfed in complete darkness, he made his move.

There were two main reasons he wanted to fight in the dark, one was simply because they could no longer see him and the second was that he did not want Sakura to see the fight. Something in him just wanted her to stay as innocent as possible, never wanting her to see the brutality of such fights. It was a good thing he wasn't supposed to kill them, just capture them.

He moved to the right, dodging the machete that the scoundrel had taken out to now fight with. Typical that they use their weapons so carelessly, swinging their machetes like morons. He easily evaded the hundred attacks that the fools threw at him and they had not once dodged his own. He grabbed one by the arm and threw him as hard as he could to another, knocking them both out cold. Now only one remained.

His eyes widen a bit as he saw light coming from behind him. It seemed that one of the men had an extra flashlight and had used it to spot out Sakura. The poor girl stared wide eyed as the man neared her, raising the weapon to strike. The boy cursed at his carelessness, and quickly took off to stop the attack from harming the young child.

Sakura closed her eyes shut, waiting for the impact that surely was about to come, but words said by her hero rung clear in her head, 'I will protect you.' She knew he meant that, she believed in those words. So slowly, she relaxed her tense body and opened her eyes, to see that her hero had kept to his words. Probably with blinding speed, he had managed to get in between her and the weapon, but with the price of him getting wounded. 'The weapon . . . it's deep in his arm! That man could have cut it off and it would have been all my fault!' she shook to that realization. What would he have done if he lost his arm? Would he have had to quit being a ninja because of her? Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized she was nothing but a burden to him. But she removed the thought from her head when she heard him speak.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan, this is merely a scratch," he looked at her and gave her a small reassuring smile. Sakura just simply looked on dumbfounded.

"Tch," the man who had been ignored for the time being and who had just gotten out of his stupor, trying to figure what just happened, noised out. He directed the flashlight to them, and when he had pointed the light at the boy, his eyes widen with fear. He didn't know if he was imagining it, but as he blink a few times and still saw what he saw, he knew he wasn't. The young boy's eyes had changed into a deep red colour, almost as if the child was possessed. The man wanted to look away, but he was too frightened, and he shakily said, "W-what are you? A . . . monster?"

". . ." the boy stayed silent. Using the man's state of shock as an advantage, he took the machete out of the wound and with unseen speed he delivered a punch to the man's face, knocking him out like the other two.

Sakura looked on in amazement, her hero was incredible! 'He's so cool!' her inner self shrieked out. Sakura couldn't agree more. She was glad that she had met the young ninja and knew what she wanted to do after all this. She realized he helped her in more ways than one.

She smiled in joy, and, turning on the flashlight she had, she walked toward the shinobi, but abruptly stopped when he turned around to face her. The light she had was directly pointed at his face, and she could clearly see what the man had feared. 'His eyes . . . they're red!' she exclaimed in her mind. She didn't know why, but his eyes frightened her.

Sensing her fear, the boy remembered that his bloodline limit, the Sharingan, was still activated and quickly he closed his eyes. Upon opening them again, they were back to his normal black colour. It wasn't like him to use his Sharingan in such pitiful fights, but something within him snapped the moment he saw Sakura attacked. He wasn't sure what it was, but he became angry when the girl was threatened. He concluded in his mind that perhaps he simply did not want to break the promise he made to her. Certainly, he had broken promises before, but this one he felt he just _needed_ to keep. Why? That wasn't something he could answer at the moment.

Sakura blinked a few times, trying to understand what it was she saw. She was confused to whether or not she had actually seen red eyes, but upon seeing that they were black as the night was, she had her doubts. 'Maybe I imagined it,' she concluded, but a desire to ask struck her and as she was about to do so, he spoke first.

"Are you alright?" his question made her forget her own question as she now remembered that he had gotten hurt.

"Your arm!" she completely ignored his question as she ran to him, "you got hurt because of me, I'm so sorry."

"I told you that it was merely a scratch," he assured.

"No!" she shook her head furiously, "t-the sword . . . it went deep . . .a-and . . ." She didn't finish as he placed a hand on her head, assuring her that everything was fine.

"I'm fine," he said, "take a look."

The boy lifted his arm showing Sakura the wound and to her total amazement, the injury was healing and she couldn't help but voice out her admiration, "Wow! How are you doing that?"

"It's a technique I learned. It's actually the only medical-ninjutsu I know, but it probably will be the only one I need to know," he answered. A few moments more and the injury was completely healed, no scar marred his skin to prove he had been injured.

"Wow," Sakura repeated, at a lost for words. 'Yup, he's definitely cool!' the inner voice undoubtedly said.

"Sakura-chan," he snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked at him, telling him she was listening, "I am going to tie up these criminals and after that we will continue the search for you parents, alright?" She nodded in comprehension.

The ninja set off to do as he planned and Sakura, wanting to do something, held up the flashlight so he could see what he was doing. When he was sure that the scoundrels were securely tied up, he went to Sakura and when he reached her, he turned his back to her and knelt down. Sakura just looked at him quizzically.

"I think it would be quicker if you rode on my back," he explained and Sakura nodded as she climbed on his back. Once she was securely in place, he stood up and took off.

"But what about those three?" Sakura asked as the boy had jumped on to a tree branch.

"I will come back for them later. They were actually the reason why I was out here," he clarified.

"Oh, okay," Sakura was silent after that.

As the ninja jumped from tree to tree, Sakura paid close attention to the speed and height he was jumping at. She wondered if it would ever be possible for her to jump so high. Well, it could be possible if this was what they teach ninja, right? Sakura smiled as she remembered that her hero had helped her decide something very important to her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"We haven't found your parents, no need to thank me yet," he told her.

"But I'm thanking you because you protected me and helped me decide something," she explained.

"Decide?" he questioned.

"Uh-huh," she simply said and wanted to continue explaining what she meant, but she stopped when she heard someone calling out her name.

"_Sakura!"_ the voice was distant, but Sakura knew it was her mother.

"It's my mom!" Sakura cheerfully said, glad that they had at last found them.

"Right," the shinobi said, following the direction of the woman's cry.

"Wait," Sakura told him and he stopped.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Put me down here, please?" she requested and he did. He was confused as to why they needed to stop, but soon raised a brow as he saw her bowing.

"Sakura-chan?" he called out.

"Thank you," she repeated her gratitude, "because of you I decided what I want to do now."

"What do you mean?" Sakura just smiled brightly at him then told him.

"The reason I got lost was because I was thinking on what I should do. My mom and dad says I'll be starting school soon and they said that I could choose any school I wanted," she paused for a moment, and smiled brighter than before, "and I want to become a ninja, I want to go to ninja school!"

To say he wasn't surprised would be a lie. Something in him didn't wish for her to become a ninja. To be a shinobi, one would have to make many sacrifices, see unimaginable horrors, face death countless of times, and lose the innocence one was born with. For her to become a ninja . . . he knew the innocence she had would be lost and the fact that she may die during her journeys didn't sit well with him. He had to persuade her to change her mind.

"Sakura-chan, to be a ninja is no easy task. You would face so much danger. Also, it would be harder for you if you weren't born with certain skills," he told her, hoping she would understand what he was trying to say. She just smiled sweetly which shocked him.

"I know," was her reply to his statement, "but I want to be a ninja. I want to become a _strong_ ninja. I _will _become a strong ninja, just like you! I'm going to work hard, I'm never going to quit! It's all that I want."

He looked at her surprised. He saw in her eyes great determination, something he didn't think such a young child could possess. Her green eyes just shone with it and he understood that this was something she wasn't going to back down from. Was it normal for such a very young girl to know what she wanted in life? For her, yes. Then if that was the case, he would have to make sure she achieved her goal. He would make sure to do all that he could. Why? He didn't even know.

He placed his hand on her head once again, and said, "Remember those words, Sakura. Strive to be a great konoichi and maybe one day I will help you."

"Really?" she excitedly cheered.

"Really, I will train you," he confirmed.

"Promise?"

"Promise," he swore.

"Thank you!" she jumped on him giving him a tight hug. He could only give a slight smile, wondering if this girl would remain the same as she grew. In her, he knew she held a kind heart, proved to him by the worry she held when he was injured, and he only hoped she didn't lose that kindness. He didn't even know why it concerned him, but it was just something he hoped for.

"We should go now, I'm sure you're parents are extremely worried," he told her. Sakura nodded in agreement and they soon took off once more.

()0()0()

"I see you have succeeded with your task, Itachi," the third Hokage said, "but you seemed to have taken longer than expected."

"I apologize if you are upset with that," the boy, Itachi, said. He didn't bother to explain why he had taken so long to complete his mission. He saw no point, he knew that what he did in the forest was the right thing, and if it would cost him the Chuunin exam, so be it.

"No, I'm not upset. Actually, I'm quite pleased with you," Sarutobi told him, giving the boy a bright smile. Itachi simply stayed silent, giving the old man the chance to speak his reason of content, "I know what you had done in the forest, Itachi, and due to that, I'm proud to say you are definitely ready to take the Chuunin exam. Even though you knew that the mission given to you was a test to prove if you were ready to become a Chuunin, you still took the liberty of helping that young girl. Most beginners, Genin, would have only strived to complete and succeed the mission, but they would have only proved that they weren't thinking as real shinobi. It's true a ninja's job is to complete missions given to them, but they are also the protectors of their village. It's their duty to protect the civilians of this village and you clearly know this. That is why I am pleased and why I agree that you may enter the Chuunin exam this year."

Itachi didn't say anything, nor did he feel much. Anyone would have been happy, but he didn't see any reason to be. He really hadn't doubted that he would be taking the exam that year; after all, he did graduate from the Ninja academy at age seven and mastered his Sharingan at age eight. Now that he was nine, soon to be ten, his father thought it was just about time he became a Chuunin, and after his sensei had recommended him, he had to prove he was ready. Of course, everyone knew he was, even the Hokage, certainly knowing that the boy was skillful, talented, and a genius, but he had to make sure that Itachi had the right state of mind, that he was mature enough to progress further in his ninja career. Thus, the test was given to him, and he succeeded.

"Well then, I guess you would like to go home and tell your family the good news," Sarutobi happily said, signaling Itachi that he was dismissed. Itachi just bowed and turned to leave, but he didn't feel like going home just yet, so when he was once outside, he took a stroll, in search of something, or rather someone.

()0()0()

It didn't take long for Itachi to find her. Sensing for her presence he quickly found Sakura with her parents walking to, he assumed, their home. The little girl was happily skipping along, chanting the word 'ninja' over and over again. He could see that her parents looked a little worried. Could it be that they were worried about Sakura's choice? Itachi could only assume yes.

It didn't surprise him; any normal parent would worry if their child was going to become something that could get them killed. So he really couldn't blame them, after all, he too worried about Sakura, still not knowing why he did, but there was nothing they could do. She was a stubborn one, and determined, nothing was going to persuade her, he was certain of that, her words clearly proving it.

"_I _will_ become a strong ninja!"_

He knew she was going to keep to those words, and perhaps the promise she made to him before they separated in the forest.

_They had at last reached her parents, her big smile showing she was happy and glad. She turned to Itachi and stared at him for a while as if contemplating something. Then she finally spoke._

"_You know, I owe you so much for everything."_

"_It's fine, you don't owe me anything," Itachi kindly said._

"_But I do!" Sakura pressed on, "I owe you my life and that's why . . . someday I will repay you. When I become a strong ninja, when I become one of the best, I will be the one to protect you instead, I promise."_

_Itachi could see determination once again sparkle to life in her eyes. But he knew that the promise would be unnecessary. He was known as a genius, his skills far surpassed most shinobi, and the likeliness of him ever needing to be protected didn't seem possible to him. However, as he looked at the girl, he felt her meaning went deeper, as if she was telling him that one day she would give up her life for his. It was absurd to him but the feeling wouldn't go away as he stared at her. _

'_She is merely saying that because she doesn't know better,' he began to think, 'I must remember she is merely a child, still in the stage where they believe in dreams and fairytales.' He wouldn't take her promise seriously, but as she smiled so brightly at him, so innocently, he could tell she wanted to keep the promise. She wanted and maybe, just maybe, she would. If that was the case, he would really need to be careful._

"_I think it's about time you went to your parents," he told her, wanting to no longer ponder on her words and possibly fake promises. _

"_Okay," Sakura simply said as she bowed slightly and before dashing off she said, "Goodbye, for now."_

"_Yes," he agreed, "goodbye, for now." _

_With that, she smiled and left him, and throughout the whole affair she never knew his name._

Breaking from the reminiscence, Itachi kept watching the family from atop the rooftop he had landed upon. They had stopped at an ice cream shop and now the young girl chanted 'ice cream'. He couldn't help but smirk at her behaviour. 'Such innocence would be a crime to taint,' he thought, 'I only hope, Sakura-chan, that you stay the way you are.'

He sighed, he knew it was about time he went home, and as he took off toward home, the final words they had shared lingered in his mind:

"_Goodbye, for now."_

'For now,' he thought, 'it will be our farewell.' He didn't know when it was they would meet again, but he made another vow that night. He would watch over her, and until he found the right moment to once again approach her, he would keep his other promise of training her. However, he felt it would be a very long time until then, yet he was content if he could simply watch over her for the time being.

()0()0()

Sakura looked up to the stars, or rather to the rooftops. She had felt as if someone had been watching them, but as she looked, she saw nothing. It could be that she was just probably hoping to see _him_ again. She sighed, as she thought of her hero. She really wished she had found out his name, but she never asked for it and what was even worse; she never really got to see his face clearly.

Yes, there were a few times light had shone upon his face, but during those times she concentrated her vision toward other things. All she could recall was that he had black hair and eyes. Or maybe it was red eyes? She hated that she never got to know much about him, and she now really wondered if she would ever see him again. 'He promised, though, that he would train me,' she remembered. She smiled, knowing that that promise was going to keep her hopes up. She believed that they would meet again, after all, he too said 'goodbye, for now,' so they would eventually meet once more, she had no doubt. Still . . . would she recognize him if she were to see him again? For all she knew, he could pass by her on the streets and she may never have known. It was possible, though, that he would take the liberty of saying hi to her if that was the case. Well, she could only hope.

"Sakura," her mother called out, "it's time we get going."

"Okay!" Sakura cheered as she nodded. She took hold of both her parents' hands and they, at last, headed home. Sakura, however, couldn't help but look behind her one last time, wishing she could see her new friend one more time. 'Someday . . .' was her only thought.


End file.
